Bass and Fading Light
by everythingsfine18
Summary: It's Storybrooke's first annual Enchanted Ball and Regina isn't exactly in the partying mood. That is, until the final guest arrives- none to soon, at that.
**A/N -** Hello! I hope you all enjoy this short fic. Last summer, one of my favorite songs was "Shut Up and Dance" by Walk the Moon, and I really wanted to try and write a story based off of it; music's been a common theme recently, if you couldn't tell ;-) Reviews are much appreciated! Also, now that school's out (yay for finishing sophomore year of college!), I'll have more time to focus on finishing "Universe & U," as well a one-shot every now and then. Good luck to folks who've finals coming up! And thanks for reading!

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Regina Mills lingered in the corner and silently watched as the rest of the town celebrated anything and nothing at all. She was a wallflower if ever there was one, observing and never participating. She'd spent most of the evening buried in the shadows, serving her role as the Mayor and nothing more. Clutching her plastic cup of punch closer to her chest, Regina leaned against the hard wall to steady herself, as the floorboards beneath her vibrated to the beat of the music.

Her gaze traveled around the decorated venue, compliments of Snow White and her many friends. Gold and silver streamers hung from ceiling and matching balloons floated up to the ceiling, their strings dangling above like vines in a jungle. Plates and trays of appetizers from Granny's were neatly laid out on tables that had been pushed together by the Dwarves. So far, Storybrooke's first annual ball had gone off without a hitch.

In her new black dress and shiny new heels— items bought especially for this occasion— Regina surveyed the exciting scene with a dissatisfaction that she couldn't quite decipher. Although she was the Mayor and it was her responsibility to see to that the town didn't go to shambles, Emma had been the once to convince Regina to go. And yet, the Savior was nowhere to be seen. While Regina had agonized over making an appearance at the function, Emma was somewhere without a care in the world.

As Regina looked on and watched as the rest of the residents let go of their inhibitions, she couldn't help but resent them. A familiar burning sensation bubbled in her chest as she watched the happy faces of those she'd cursed to this land. Even after everything that had happened in the last few years, after all that she'd overcome and all the good that she'd achieved, Regina was no closer to her happy ending than she was before Emma Swan ever showed up.

Regina tried not scowl as Snow White and her Prince danced as if they'd always been together, as if they'd never been separated or ever forgot about one another. They floated on air, the Charmings did. They swayed back and forth to the music, their bodies one with each other. Meanwhile, even Henry was making the most out of the party. He had asked for the hand of a young woman with white hair and blue paint drawn across her left cheek, and amidst occasional glances over his shoulder at Regina, he too became lost in the rhythmic beat and his partner. Regina had no one. Then again, that wasn't exactly new.

When the music faded out and the songs changed, Regina put on a smile as Henry shuffled up to her, his cheeks red and his tie a bit crooked. With a wry smirk, Regina offered him her punch and nodded to Henry's new friend. "Well, you two seem to be having fun."

Henry nodded, licked his lips, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Yeah, she's really cool."

"Mhm," Regina said, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. "And what is her name, may I ask?"

"Kida," Henry replied with a slight smile; just thinking about her made him happy. As he looked back at Kida, Kida waved and Regina noted the way she grinned at Henry. Even from afar, Regina saw in Kida's eyes a kindness that she had always hoped someone would look at Henry with.

"So what are you doing here with me?" Regina asked suddenly. "Go," she said gently as Henry's features pinched in confusion. "Have fun."

Henry began to shake his head. "But you—"

"No 'buts,' dear. Go and enjoy the night. Hurry before you miss the song." Regina shooed the young man away with a wink, though not before fixing his bangs.

As her quickly-maturing son walked away from her, Regina felt a pang of self-loathing. Because, on some level, as much as she loved Henry, she was jealous of him. Like everyone else around her, Henry had someone to share all of it with. Regina, on the other hand— well, she began to wonder why she was still there.

Just as Regina decided that it was time for her to leave, the double-doors burst wide open as a woman in a green backless dress and black Chuck Taylors stumbled into the grand hall. The laces of her beat-up sneakers untied and her hair pulled back into a sloppy ponytail, Emma caught her barely balance before falling face-first onto the hardwood floors.

"Sorry I'm late," the Sheriff panted as she approached the Mayor, her hands resting on her hips. Her chest rose and fell unevenly as she struggled to catch her breath. "Totally overslept."

"It's nearly 10 o'clock," Regina replied dryly. She did her best to ignore the fact that her heart skipped a beat as soon as Emma entered the room.

Emma nodded in acknowledgment. "I know. I went down for a nap at six and forgot to set an alarm. Only woke up a half hour ago. Gonna have a helluva time getting to sleep tonight. Anyway, what'd I miss?"

Hypnotized by the way the Emma's biceps flexed as she smoothed the front of her outfit, Regina blinked rapidly and cleared her throat. "Well, there have been no dragon attacks or surprise portals to Oz, if that's what you're wondering."

"Good," Emma murmured absentmindedly as she surveyed the room. "Wow. Everything looks so… shiny."

"Your mother always did enjoy a party," said Regina.

"I guess so." Emma took in all of the temporary ornaments, amazed at how much Snow had been able to get done in just a few short hours. Snow had asked Emma for help, but Emma could barely keep her eyes open. She'd gotten very little sleep during the week, having been unusually anxious about the ball. Now that it was finally here, it didn't seem so scary.

"Henry's got a new friend," Regina offered, nodding towards their son.

Emma searched the crowd until she spotted the towering teenager, who was obviously trying not to step on his partner's toes. "Looks like he inherited my lack of coordination."

"Yes, well, for his sake, let's just hope that he grows out of that," Regina replied.

Turning away from the brunette, Emma made her way up to the food table and took stock of her options. "So, how's your night going? Don't tell me you've just been hovering back here the whole time?" Regina cringed inwardly at Emma's spot-on inquiry. She sometimes forgot just how well Emma knew her.

"I don't dance," was all Regina said.

"But _can_ you?"

Regina paused before answering reluctantly. "Not well, no."

Emma scoffed in amusement. "You did just see our son, right? I don't think you have anything to worry about," she said as stabbed through three cubes of cheese with a toothpick. Shrugging casually, Emma scarfed down the three small blocks and said, "Still— you being a loner tonight, guess I'm not that surprised. You hate these things." When Regina looked over at Emma and cocked an eyebrow, as if challenging the blonde, Emma backtracked. "Not that I blame you. I mean, sometimes I don't even wanna come to them."

"As is evident by your constant, and might I add, consistent tardiness."

"Uh, not true," Emma countered. "I was on time to that group picnic last month. Ok fine, not on time— but I wasn't _that_ late." When Regina merely shook her head slightly and let out a long exhale, Emma set her plate down resisted the urge to wipe her hands on her dress. "But seriously, you've really been flying solo?"

Regina tightened her embrace around herself as the listened to the laughter and cheers that erupted through the room. "This night isn't for me, Emma. It's for them. It's for the town."

"Did I miss something? Because I could've sworn you lived here too."

Regina could feel the heat of Emma's gaze burn through her. She knew that Emma was just trying to help, but she couldn't ignore the exhaustion that washed over her. "When you went back in time to the Enchanted Forest, you went a ball, correct? What do you remember about it?"

Frowning slightly, Emma's features contorted as she thought back to her accidental vacation. "There were a lot of people," she recalled. "It was… fancy."

"And when you ran into me, what was I like?"

Emma licked her lips nervously and cleared her throat. "You were, um…"

"Scary? Mean?" Regina made a point of looking away from Emma as she said the last word. "Evil?" After a few seconds, she summoned the strength to lock eyes with the blonde. "I'm not stupid, Emma. I know what I was, what I've done. I know the pain that I've caused. It's always with me. As tiresome as these 'things' may be, I don't hate them because they bore me. I hate them because when I go and I'm surrounded by the entire town, I'm reminded of the person that I used to be."

Emma blinked in confusion. "So, what— you're punishing yourself? Watching everyone else have fun while you sit back and feel guilty? Regina, look around you: people are happy. No one's thinking about how you cursed them."

"They may not be, but I am," Regina said with a note of resignation. "What I've never been able to understand is, why don't you?"

Emma wanted to tell Regina the truth. She wanted to tell Regina that she'd never thought of her as the Evil Queen— not even in their darkest moments. She wanted to tell Regina how much she trusted her and how much she admired her. Emma wanted Regina to know how much she cared about her and wanted her to be happy. But, she never got the chance to say all of that.

Before Emma could even part her lips to speak, the music around them ended and Ruby took to the microphone. "All right ladies and gentlemen, Princes and Princesses, Dwarves and Fairies, get ready for the last song of the evening. Grab a neighbor, grab a friend, grab a special someone and enjoy."

As soon as Ruby hit play, a soft and steady piano tune echoed through the speakers. All of the laughter and all of the cheering that had filled the space just moments before faded away until all that was left was the sound of a single voice.

 _I set out on a narrow way many years ago, hoping I would find true love along the broken road…_

As if she hadn't just revealed one of her most intimate secrets to the woman who was once her enemy, Regina scoffed dryly. "Remind me to appoint someone else as manager of the music next year."

Among the sea of couples and singletons, Emma noticed Henry with the same girl; her head rested against his chest as they stepped back and forth and side-to-side in perfect time to the music.

And then, without any explanation, Emma turned to Regina and blurted out, "Dance with me."

Thinking that the the Savior was playing a trick on her, the Queen chuckled dismissively. "Did you not hear what I said earlier? I don't dance. I can't."

"So? Half the people here move like jellyfish anyway. No one'll care."

"But, Emma it won't look—"

"Come on!"

"Emma, I'm not—"

"Regina!" Emma squawked suddenly. "Shut up." Going off of Regina's bewildered expression, Emma echoed, "Just shut up and dance with me. Have some fun. Let yourself off the hook for once— just for two seconds." And with that, Emma took Regina's arm.

She didn't know how it had happened, but somehow, she and Emma ended up in the center of the room. And suddenly, they were nose-to-nose, their fingers intertwined and Emma's hand resting on Regina's waist. It was the closest that they had ever been.

Curious expressions and scattered whispers made Regina's cheeks burn and her ears turn a bright pink. "Hey," the Sheriff murmured. "It's OK. Don't look back. Just keep your eyes on me."

Regina swallowed hard and nodded as she closed her eyes briefly, in the hopes of drowning out the rest. In the darkness, it was just her and Emma and the music, and no one else. Their bodies fit together seamlessly, as if they were each other's missing pieces. The fear and frustration that had followed Regina throughout the evening lessened with every second that she spent in Emma's embrace. It didn't disappear completely, but it became bearable. And as she listened to the words that spilled through the speakers, Regina found the courage to open her eyes again and look at Emma.

It had been years since Regina believed in destiny. She'd lived so much of her life listening to others tell her who she was and what she did or didn't deserve; years wasted believing that she would never have a happy ending of her own. But in that moment, as Regina stared into Emma's eyes, she felt it in her chest; a warmth that she'd long since given up on feeling ever again. On some level, Regina already knew. The moment that Emma had reached for her hand, an electric shock surged through Regina's system and it was deep in Emma's mesmerizing green eyes that Regina could see it all: her past as the Evil Queen, her present as Henry's mother and Storybrooke's Mayor, and her future as Regina Mills— one in which Emma was by her side. Regina didn't realize how much she wanted that until right then.

Breaking away from the Savior's gaze, Regina glanced over at their son, who had been watching his mothers the entire time. When he smiled at the two of them, as if giving them his blessing, Regina ignored the buzzing residents and turned back to the blonde and, without saying a single word, pressed her lips against Emma's. Destiny was real, Regina finally realized, and this woman— this Emma Swan— was hers.


End file.
